The Most Inpsiring Quotes from Beyoncé's CFDA Acceptance Speech

Last night, Beyoncé stole the show when she made a surprise appearance to accept the 2016 CFDA Fashion Icon Award. The singer stunned in a diamond-encrusted Givenchy suit, but when she began her speech, her words soon outshone her outfit. She recollected anecdotes to the audience of her first experiences with fashion, which had very humble beginnings. Meanwhile her family—Jay Z, Blue Ivy and Tina Knowles—watched proudly from the audience.

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From getting rejected by major labels to becoming a fashion icon, Beyoncé is fashion's ultimate Cinderella story. Scroll down for the most inspiring moments from her acceptance speech last night.

When she recounted her mother's and grandmother's struggles to make ends meet:

"Most of you guys don't know this but my grandmother was a seamstress. My grandparents did not have enough money and could not afford my mother's Catholic school tuition, so my grandmother sewed clothes for the priests and the nuns, and made uniforms for the students in exchange for my mother's education."

When she revealed that no one in the fashion world wanted to work with her, Destiny's Child or her mother:

"When we were starting out in Destiny's Child, high-end labels didn't really want to dress four black, country, curvy girls. And we couldn't afford designer dresses and couture. My mother was rejected from every showroom in New York. But like my grandmother, she used her talent and creativity to giver her children their dreams."

When she made the perfect Game of Thrones reference:

"When I wore these clothes on stage I felt like Khaleesi. I had an extra suit of armor. It was so much deeper than any brand name."

When she informed everyone of her mother's versatile sewing talent, and how important it was to her:

"My mother actually designed my wedding dress, my prom dress, my first CFDA Awards dress, my first Grammy dress, and the list goes on and on and this to me is the true power and potential of fashion. It's a tool for finding your own identity, expression, and strength. It transcends style and is a time capsule of all of our greatest milestones."

When she thanked her mother, Tina Knowles, for teaching her important life lessons about beauty and self-confidence:

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"Thank you for showing me that having a presence is far more than the clothes you wear and your physical beauty. Thank you for showing me to never take no for an answer. Thank you for showing me how to take risks, work hard, and live life on my own terms."

When she thanked fashion designers for their dedication to their craft:

"I want to say thank you to every designer who works tirelessly to make people feel like they can write their own stories."

When she opened up about the power of fashion:

"We have an opportunity to contribute to a society where any girl can look at a billboard or magazine cover and see her own reflection. Soul has no color, no shape, no form. Just like all your work it goes so far beyond what the eyes can see."

When she ended on a high note about inner beauty:

"You have the power to change perception, to inspire and empower, to show people how to embrace their complications and flaws and see the true beauty that's inside all of us."

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